After All These Years
by dgraymaniac
Summary: What would happen if you haven't seen your friend in years, and then they show up unexpectedly? Lavi and Ellen were best friends growing up. Until one day when Lavi left. It's been five years since then, and they somehow run into each other. Do they become best friends again? Do their lives go back to normal? LaviXFemaleAllen
1. An Unexpected Meeting

**Hi guys! I hope you like this story. I know Allen is 15 in the series, but female Allen will be 18 so there isn't a huge age gap in the story. This is my... third D. Gray-man fanfiction, so if you want to check out the others, one is called I Dare Yu, but I haven't put up the other one yet. I would love to hear from you guys, so reply as much as you'd like! Enjoy! :)**

**ELLEN POV**

It was cold and overcast,but I didn't mind that. I had worse things to worry about. My godfather was who knows where at some job of his, which he has never told me where it is or for who he works for. He leaves me like this more often than not, so I have to work to the bone to be able to afford food and to pay off the bills. I finished breakfast, put on my jacket, and went out the door. I took out my iPod, set it on shuffle, and placed it back in my jacket pocket along with my cold hands. Listening to music was the only way nowadays to escape the reality I'm living in. For a while I could get away from the working and hardships, and just let out my feelings. You might say it's weird to obsess over something like music, but it's the only thing in my life that I can rely on and that will never leave me. I have no living family, no friends, just myself. I kept on walking down the road as I feel something moving in my hood. Seconds later I check it to find none other than Timcanpy in there. He flies out and lands on my head. "Tim? I thought you were back home! Sorry, I probably interrupted a nap or something." I continue on with my walking until I reach the train station. That's how I get to and from my place and my two part time jobs. I checked my watch to discover that I still had 15 minutes until my train came, so I sat down on a bench near the tracks. One of things that helped the time pass by was to watch the people who passed by and guess their life based on looks, height, and the type of clothes they where. It gets fun when there is some really weird guy, or a fancy woman, because you get guess some pretty messed up things. But today, it wasn't fun. I kept on thinking of him. The only friend I've ever had. The one I haven't seen in five years.

**LAVI POV**

I found myself daydreaming again. Daydreaming of her, my best friend growing up. I haven't seen her since I was 14, and I'm 19 now. I've found over the years that I catch myself thinking about her. She had the brightest smile, the prettiest brunette hair, and sparkling blue eyes. She was also very caring and had a heart of gold. No. I shouldn't be thinking of her. I have a girlfriend I'm committed to. But I can't stop thinking of her. I just wish I could see her again. Just one more time. "Hey, baka usagi. Stop daydreaming, we have to catch the next train," a menacing Kanda says. "Okay, fine." We end up walking for a few minutes and get to the platform. Kanda checks his watch and informs that it's ten till nine. Fun. We get to stay here doing nothing for ten minutes. I plop myself down on a bench near the back of the platform. To pass the time I ask Kanda, "Hey, do you think we're actually going to find a host for this innocence?" "I dunno. If we look hard enough, maybe we will. I don't get why we were put on this job when it is the generals' job to do." "Well," I reply, "All of the generals are already doing jobs internationally. They are probably searching for innocence hosts already, but didn't have enough time or people for the other innocence found." "Makes as much sense as anything else around here," he says before he goes quiet again. Out of boredom I watch the people go by, until a flicker of gold catches my attention. I focus my eyes at that area and see it again. It's a golem just like some we have at the Order, except for the color. "Hey, Yu. I see a golden golem over there. Maybe it's someone from the Order waiting for the train too. I'm gonna check it out. Be right back." "Don't call me by my first name baka! Whatever. Do what you want, I couldn't care less." I walks toward the flicker of gold, pushing through pedestrians walking by. I get near a bench by the tracks and see the golem land on someone's shoulder. I walk over and tap the person on the shoulder and ask, "Are you from the Order? I saw your golem and wondered what you were doing he-" "L-lavi?" the person asks. I look down at the girl. A girl that is very familiar to me. "Ellen?"

**I hoped you liked this! See what happens next when I post the next chapter! And yes, female Allen is named Ellen. If you want to know why, it's because that's my name, and what would be a better name for female Allen than the writer's name?! Please comment and let me know if you liked it! I also accept criticism and ideas, and if I like an idea of yours and use it, I will make sure to give you credit! Stay awesome! Dgraymaniac out! :P**


	2. Parting Memories

**Hello people! Nice to see you! Thank you for coming back to read this chapter! I hope you enjoy. Oh yeah, I do not own D. Gray-man! I kinda sorta forgot to mention that last time... And thank you to Lenore91 for informing me on the whole paragraph thing. I'm sorry if it was hard to read or keep your place because of the all togetherness. I have changed that, but if you still have problems with the new setup, don't be afraid to let me know! As always, I'd love to here from you! Enjoy! :)**

**ELLEN POV**

I was sitting on the bench when someone tapped my shoulder. He starts asking a question when I turn around. Before me is a guy with floppy red hair, an eye patch, and an emerald green eye. This was no stranger. I have met him before. I've thought about him

before. He was my best friend, my only friend. Until he left, leaving me behind.

_ It was five years ago. It was a day almost the exact opposite of today. Warm and sunny, the sky _

_dotted with white, puffy clouds. We had been sitting under a large apple tree, watching the clouds go by and carrying on conversations. Since we were _

_best friends, we told each other everything. He knew all of the details of life, and me his. Heck, he even knew how many kids I wanted. But on this _

_particular day, he had started asking me questions on why I became friends with him. _

"_Well," I said. "You were the only person who would try to talk to a shy girl like me. The only one. When you came up to me, I knew you didn't have any trouble being nice to me, but you were despite everyone else. And then, I found you easy to talk to. And to trust."_

"_Oh, come on. I'm not that nice and adorable," he replies in a playful, mocking way. _

"_I never said you were adorable," I say with a small grin. _

"_Well, I know we were both thinking it." _

_He then gives me a bright, kind smile. I've always loved his smile. It's one of the many things I like about him. And I really did think he _

_was adorable. I never directly told him though, because I was afraid that if I told him my true feelings for him, that he wouldn't like me _

_back and it would destroy our friendship. I couldn't risk that, so I kept it secret._

"_And I know you're full of it," I respond with a giggle. _

"_Ellen, can I tell you something?"he says, getting serious._

"_Of course. Go ahead."_

"_I wanted to tell you that I have-" he says as gets interrupted. _

_His grandfather walks toward us, his eyes focusing on the two of us. _

"_Lavi," he says. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we need to go."_

_Go? He's leaving? Is this what he was going to tell me?_

"_What do you mean go? I didn't know we were going anywhere!" Lavi exclaims._

"_This was a last minute decision. Something has come up and we need to leave for a while. I'm sorry about not having any notice on this, but it's best if we leave now."_

"_And what if I refuse? I'm not leaving without a good reason," he says persistently._

"_Lavi Bookman Junior, if you do not come with me right now, I will forbid you of ever seeing Ellen again."_

_I turn to Lavi as the color in his face fades. _

"_O-okay. I'll get my stuff then. Just let me say goodbye first."_

_With this, Bookman turns and walks off, leaving Lavi faced away from me. I walk up to him slowly and gently touch his back._

"_Hey. You didn't have to do that just for me," I say calmly._

_He turns around, places his hands on my shoulders, and looks me in the eye. And for a few moments he stays like that. He remains silent. I look up to his face, seeing his head bent down. His fiery red hair hangs down, covering up his face. _

_He slowly says, "Yes. I did. I can't stand never seeing you again. As much as I don't want to leave you, at least I can look forward to seeing you when I come back."_

_He wraps his arms around my neck, holding me in an embrace. As I wrap my around his waist, I bury my face into his shoulder. _

_Lavi leans down and quietly whispers into my ear, "Bye Ellen. I'll miss you, but I'll be back soon." _

_He breaks the hug but gives me a kiss on the cheek. He turns away and drags himself over to where Bookman, who had already gotten Lavi's bags, was. _

_As they load up the carriage, I can't help but feel helpless and alone, like he would never be coming back. I watched as they both got in. Bookman goes to the front where he can guide the horses, but I can still see the red head's face through the window. The carriage starts to pull away, starting off slowly, but gaining speed. _

_As it is rolling away I yell out, "Goodbye Lavi!"_

_He smiles and shouts back, "Bye! I'll see you again soon!" He waves and a few seconds later he adds, "I love you!"_

_By the time he said that they were too far away and I couldn't make out what was said. I guess I would never find out what the last thing he said to me was. _

_I stood motionless as I watched them moving towards the horizon, with me behind them and the entire world in front of them._

"L-lavi?

"Ellen?"

For a few seconds my mind is unable to comprehend what's going on. We stare at each other in disbelief until I stand up and wrap my

arms around his neck. He takes his arms and pulls them around my waist, and then spins me around. Another thing that I missed. This

is how we would always greet each other. Even though I was expecting this years ago, I'm glad I was able to get it, no matter how late

it was. He sets me down and just smiles, a bigger smile than I've ever seen on him, and stares into my eyes. My face heats up as I look at him. Although he hasn't changed much, he looks older and more mature. He has more defined features and his skin is perfectly toned. He has his hair held up by a headband and still wears an eyepatch. The more I think about it, more of my feelings start bubbling up inside of me.

"Wow. I still can't believe it's really you," he says softly.

"Me neither. It's like this is a dream or something. You are real right? You're not a ghost or a hallucination are you?" I ask as I start poking his arm.

"No," he says with a small laugh. "Typical you. No, I am the real deal."

He pulls me into another hug, cradling me in his arms.

**Thanks for reading! I know the whole flashback thing took most of this chapter, but I felt it was necessary. I'll try and update soon now that school is over. Yeah summer! I hope the story format is better now, and if there are any other concerns of that nature, feel free to let me know! Reply, reply, reply! I would love to hear what you think about it so far! Stay awesome! Dgraymaniac out!**


	3. A Coincidental Discovery

**Welcome all! Here is another chapter! Enjoy! I do not own D. Gray-man.**

**LAVI POV**

As I hold Ellen in my arms, I can't help but feel younger. At a time where we could be care free and not have to worry about the troubles

in the world. A place where everyone knew each other, and bad things would rarely happen. I miss those days, but with her I am back

at that time. Now, as I am with her, forget about fighting the akuma and the Noah family. I forget about finding the Heart and being an

exorcist and a Bookman. I forget everything except for what is happening right now. I only pay attention to Ellen's presence. Her steady

breathing, warm against my neck. I would have loved to stay like this longer, but I feel an unusual movement.

And I know she feels it too because she asks, "Um... what was that?"

I take a step back and look through my pockets. I check, finding nothing. I almost forgot! I have an inside pocket in my jacket. I reach

inside my jacket pocket and find what is was. It was the innocence fragment Kanda and I were holding on to. I take it out and hold it in

the palm of my hand. Ellen gives me a look of awe and slowly reaches forward, inching closer to the glowing orb of light that hovers

over my hands. As Ellen is reaching over to the fragment, it seams to be responding and starts to slowly float in her direction. This

means only one thing. She is the innocence's host. I always knew she was special, but I honestly wasn't expecting this. As the

innocence gently lands in her hands, I can't help but to smile. She looks so beautiful as an aura of glowing light surrounds her.

"What? Does this not happen often?" she asks with a smile and a hint of sarcasm.

"No, not really. I just... you... I... I just can't believe it," I reply.

"What's happening?"

"The innocence has claimed you as its host."

"Is that a good thing?" Ellen asks, clearly confused.

"This means you can become an exorcist and help save the world!"

"But... I don't have time for saving the world. I have to go to work so I can pay off bills and feed myself! Besides, I'm not good for anything, I'm useless. If I was good for something, I bet I wouldn't have been stuck here by myself, with adult burdens weighing me down."

"No," I say angrily. "You are not useless. You are so many things, like kind, passionate, and caring, but useless is not one of those things. You just haven't found your true purpose yet."

As I say this, I hear the sound of the train off in the distance. "Please. Will you just come with me? Come be an exorcist for the Black Order."

"Okay, you've convinced me. And what you said about not being useless, was really sweet. I really needed to hear that."

With this she gives me a kiss on the cheek. My face heats up as her soft lips press against my skin. A few seconds later I see the train

pulling up to the station. I stand in the same spot, looking through the crowd of pedestrians for Kanda. He comes up and eyes Ellen.

He says, "Come on baka. Say goodbye to your girlfriend, we have to leave."

When he said girlfriend, I felt a small blush come across my face. I looked over at Ellen, her face was a light shade of pink. Do you

think she was blushing too? No. It was probably just the cold weather. I wouldn't say out loud, but I wish she really was blushing. I

know I shouldn't be thinking this, but I just can't help that my past feelings are catching up with me. I just can't help it.

**ELLEN POV**

"Come on baka. Say goodbye to your girlfriend, we have to leave," someone says.

I turn to see a guy about Lavi's age with long, dark blue hair. He stands there, emotionless, and obviously grumpy. I blush as he says

girlfriend.

"She is not my girlfriend Kanda. And I think you should know that. She happens to be my best friend since we were kids," Lavi says matter-of-factly.

"Whatever. Just say goodbye or something and let's go," Kanda says angrily.

"Well you're in for a surprise then. She's coming with us!"

"What?" he asks. "And why?"

"You know how we were searching for a host of that innocence? Well, she justs happens to be that host," he says smugly.

"Really? This moyashi, an innocence host? Ha. I find that hard to believe."

"My name is Ellen! I am not a moyashi! And I am the host! So too bad if you don't like it, deal with it," I say angrily.

"Che. Whatever. We have to go now, or we'll miss the train."

The three of us walk to the train and get in. We take a few moments to search for an empty seat and sit down. About ten minutes after

the train pulled away, Kanda got up and left without saying a word. That left Lavi and I alone, sitting next to each other.

"So Lavi," I start to say, "What is an exorcist and what do they do?"

"Exorcists are people who possess innocence and are able to fight akuma. Our job is to find and destroy akuma and to inspect any odd occurrences that go on in the world. When we check out the odd occurrence, we believe it is due to an innocence fragment, so we make it our job to find it and stop whatever is happening."

"So why can only people who host innocence become exorcists?"

He replies, "Innocence is the only thing that can destroy akuma, so we are limited on resources. That's why the Order sends out people, mostly the generals though, to look for hosts of the innocence we find."

"So, I'm guessing you're an exorcist too?" I ask.

"Yep. So is Kanda."

"You're kidding me. I have to work with... that?"

"Yeah, but you'll get used to him. Hey, do you want to get up and explore the train with me?"

I reply with, "Sure, sounds like fun."

We stand up and he lets me go out first. I take a right, since we are near the back, and just work our way up. As we walk by the different

booths I see a few people I know. I stopped to wave at them and continued on. When we got to the dining car, Lavi and I stopped for a

snack. As we sit and eat, we start talking.

"So Ellen, do you really have to pay the bills and buy food yourself? Isn't your dad with you?" Lavi asks seeming confused.

"Yeah I do. Um, about my dad. He became ill and died about three years ago. I was left with my good for nothing godfather, who leaves for long periods at a time for some job of his. So I have to provide for myself, by working two part time jobs."

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry to hear that."

"I want to ask you something. The day you left, you said you were coming back. So why didn't you?" I ask with a hint of loneliness in my voice.

"I thought I was going to come back. But Gramps brought me to the Order for training as an exorcist. And he wouldn't let me go anywhere without an escort, although I don't know why. I did write you letters though. You never got them?" he says innocently.

"No. I never received any letters."

It goes silent for a few moments. You could almost feel the disappointment in the air.

"I think we should go back to the booth. Kanda's probably looking for us," he says as we both stand up.

Again, we make our way through the train. But when we reach the booth we were in, Kanda isn't there.

"He isn't here. We already passed the rest of the booths walking back, so do you think he's in the last train car?" I ask.

"Most likely. If not, maybe he jumped off the train or something," he replies with a laugh.

As we walk into the last car, I can't believe what I'm seeing. I see the usually grumpy, intolerable, and cold hearted Kanda sitting on the

floor in only his boxers. I burst out laughing, with Lavi joining in a few seconds later. His expression is the same as always, but I can

tell from his eyes that he's miserable and embarrassed. He kind of reminds me of a sick puppy.

"Kanda," I say through muffled laughter, "why are you only in your underwear?"

"We were just playing strip poker, and he's losing. Majorly," a man's voice says.

"Do you mind if I take his place then? If I win, you give Kanda his clothes back. If you win... um... you get this rose cross. It's pure silver," I say as I rip the cross off of Lavi's shirt.

"Deal. There's no way a little girl like you could beat all of us," he says smugly.

We start playing, and within a few minutes all three of them are down to their underwear and socks. While I'm still fully clothed.

"Hey, I didn't know you were good at cards," Lavi whispers in my ear.

"You pick up a few tricks when you have to pay everything yourself."

"Wait. Tricks? Are you cheating?!"

"Of course! The only guarantee that I'll win."

"But what if you get caught?"

"Oh, I _never _get caught. Don't worry," I say as I laugh evilly. "Ha! Royal straight flush! I win. And you said, and I quote, 'There's no way a little girl like you could beat all of us.' So give this guy his clothes back."

He replies grumpily, "Alright, fine! You won. I'll give his clothes back."

"Thank you, and we'll be leaving now. Enjoy the rest of your day," I reply innocently.

"Wow. That was awesome! You've got skills. He won't admit it, but I bet he's grateful for what you did. Oh, looks like we're about to stop. Soon you'll get to see the Order!" Lavi says praisefully.

As the train stops, we make our way out the door and onto the train platform. The three of us walk for a little while, until we stop. There

is no building in sight, but Lavi tells us to grab onto the handle of his hammer and he takes us above the clouds. We rise up far, but just

above the clouds is a floating building thing. As we land on the ground, I stare up at the sight before me.

"Welcome to the Black Order! I hope you enjoy your stay as an exorcist!"

**Wow, that was a LOT longer than I expected. Sorry 'bout that, I tend to blabber on when I write. I hope you didn't get bored to death, and actually enjoyed it. The thing about the letters is an idea based from ****The Notebook**** and everything else from D. Gray-man, which I do not own either one of them. Next chapter will be when Ellen meets the members of the Order and picks out a weapon to use! Remember to reply! See ya. Stay awesome! Dgraymaniac out :)**


	4. Arrival At The Order

**Hey guys! Please please please don't kill me! I am so sorry for not updating sooner! I am also sorry because this chapter isn't exactly what i said it would be. It's more of a comic relief chapter. As always, I hope you enjoy and I do not own D. Gray-man.**

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**ELLEN POV**

"Welcome to the Black Order, enjoy your stay as an exorcist," Lavi says with a smile.

I stare at the building in front of me. I'm speechless at how there's a chunk of land floating in mid air, and that there are people who live and work in a building built on top!

"Wow. This is the Black Order? What, were all of the spaces on the ground taken?" I ask with a bit of comedic sarcasm.

I turn to Lavi and he just chuckles. Behind him, the always grumpy Kanda makes a che sound. Instead of leaving it at that he says, "I'm leaving since you and moyashi here are just going to stand here and make jokes."

He walks forward as I yell at him for calling me moyashi. "Okay, Yu can lead the way!" the future Bookman says. Another che escapes Kanda's mouth, but he keeps walking, so we follow him.

As Lavi and I walk side by side, I stuff my hands in my jacket pockets and stare at the ground. What if they don't like me or I don't fit in? What if I really am useless and mess everything up instead of making it better?

"Hey." I turn my head to the cute red head. Somehow reading my mind, he says, "It'll be alright. Everybody here is nice and you'll do just fine. And I'll be here for you, no matter what," offering an innocent smile with it. I return it, giving a wide grin.

We all remain silent as we continue walking, but soon come up to a huge gate. Kanda, who's still in front, opens and goes through the gate. Lavi walks towards it, so I follow him. I am just about to pass through when a giant face pops out of the gate.

"Holy shit!" I exclaim as I fall backwards, landing on my butt. "Where do you think you're going missy?" the face asks. I am so surprised and confused that all I can say is, "Lavi. What the HELL IS THAT?!"

"Feisty much..." I hear it whisper. The red head gives a nervous laugh and replies,"Oops, sorry. Forgot to mention that Alestina Drow Joanason P. Robathan Gia Amadeus No.5 here needs to inspect you before you go in. Just to make sure you're not an akuma. No big deal." I make another confused face so he adds, "The Gatekeeper..."

Oh, duh! How could I forget that Alestana, Alesteena, whatever it is, is the Gatekeeper's real name?! I mean seriously, how would I have known? Putting that aside, I walk nervously up to the Gatekeeper.

**LAVI POV**

I stand there awkwardly as Ellen slowly walks up to the Gatekeeper. She bites her lip nervously.

Wow... the way she bites her lip is so sexy... No. I shouldn't be thinking like this. But I understand how she feels. MY first experience with the Gatekeeper was like this. Very curious yet nervous at the same time.

I turn around to find Kanda missing. I couldn't care less, so I turn my attention back to what I call the "rookie inspection".

Alestina moves his face just inches from hers. His eyes dart back and forth, yet I have no idea what he could be thinking.

After a minute of this it gets kind of awkward and she yells, "Are you done yet?! You're creeping me out and making me feel violated!" "Hmph! For your information missy," he says slowly and matter of factly, "I take my job very seriously. If a single thing goes in and causes a ruckus, and they find out I didn't inspect them first... Oh ho, I'd be in A LOT of trouble."

After a short pause Ellen replies, "Well?! Can I go in or not?!" obviously getting fed up from his cautiousness. He gives out a loud sigh and nods.

Ellen gives a last glance in his direction and then walks towards me. She catches up and we continue walking, almost shoulder to shoulder. After a few seconds we arrive the the door. I move away from her and open the door. She steps inside and I follow, closing the door behind us.

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I hope you enjoyed that! Again, I'm sorry for the delay and I promise that the next chapter will be when she meets everyone and picks out her weapon. Also, I did post the first chapter of my second DGM fanfic and it is called A Lonely Road, so if you want to check that out, that would be awesome! To say I'm sorry again, here are free cookies for you all! *Hands out cookies* and if you don't like cookies... i dunno, i'll give you brussel sprouts or something... Dgraymaniac out :3


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